During the content creation process, given a “master” source (e.g., a movie), it is not unusual to generate multiple variations of the master targeting different markets and different playback environments. For example, a studio may generate three versions of a movie: a cinema version, for movie theater projectors, a standard-definition version, for DVD distribution, and a high-definition version, for Blu-Ray distribution. These versions may use different resolutions and different video compression schemes; however, in most cases, they all need to conform to the original artistic intent of the director.
Alternatively, when generating a version for consumer release (e.g., the cinema version), a director may want to experiment, and compare different artistic looks before selecting the final one. Hence, there is a need to compare, typically side-by-side, and in frame sync, multiple versions of the same stream.
As appreciated by the inventors here, it is desirable to develop improved techniques for simultaneous, frame-synchronized, playback of digital media files across multiple media players connected into a computer network.
The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section. Similarly, issues identified with respect to one or more approaches should not assume to have been recognized in any prior art on the basis of this section, unless otherwise indicated.